The Richard Grayson for Congress campaign is supporting the boycott of Arizona and leaving the state tomorrow to protest the racist SB 1070. Although it is unusual for a congressional candidate to boycott his or her own state, these are extraordinary times and we think our decision is consistent with Green Party principles. We know it's consistent with what we feel in our hearts.
Our campaign has signed on to this pledge:
I pledge to stand up against Arizona’s new immigration legislation, SB 1070, and boycott intolerance in Arizona until this radical and unjust law is repealed, overturned by the courts, and/or superseded by comprehensive federal immigration.
As a member of this great nation, a nation that prides itself on its diverse makeup, I am extremely concerned about SB 1070, which essentially sanctions racial profiling as accepted police practice to address immigration issues. Latinos will become suspect in their own communities, regardless of their immigration status, and this goes against our nation’s most deeply held principles.
I stand with the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the Asian American Justice Center (AAJC), the Center for Community Change (CCC), the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the National Puerto Rican Coalition (NPRC), and the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) in pledging to do the following:
• I will carefully consider whether the dollars I spend as a consumer of goods and services could end up supporting, directly or indirectly, the perpetuation of this unjust law.
• As a representative of an organization, I will not hold any conventions, conferences, special events, or major meetings involving significant travel to Arizona from out of state, while this law is in force.
• I will call on all other major American institutions to consider choosing alternative locations for conventions, conferences, special events, or major meetings involving significant travel to Arizona from out of state, while this law is in force.
• Specifically, I call on Major League Baseball to remove its All-Star Game from Arizona, where a significant portion of the players in the game would be at risk of being profiled once they are off the field and out of uniform.
I am aware that, in the short term, these actions may adversely affect some Arizonans who opposed the bill and others who are likely to be its principal targets. However, any short-term adverse impacts on these communities that result from this campaign are far outweighed by the need to combat the systemic profiling and discrimination that will occur as a result of this unjust law.
